


A Good Life

by Ronoken



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, F/M, Future Fic, Gen, Ominous Background Stuff, Performing Sucks, Time Travel, Ziggy is a gift
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27862230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ronoken/pseuds/Ronoken
Summary: Caline M. Bourgeois, age 13, stood in the wings of the Francois Dupont auditorium and wrung her hands as the act in front of her finished up. On stage, Olive was twirling the crap out of that baton and the blacklight admittedly looked awesome, but she was winding down and that meant Caline was next.‘Fuck,’ she thought to herself.***The far future is a bright, messy, wonderful place. A Good Life is a short peek at what happened after the What To Do series of fics. Consider this an epilouge. For now.Current chapter - Gina and Marinette have a much-needed conversation.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois/Sabrina Raincomprix, Gina Agreste/Andre Bourgeois(Jr)
Comments: 49
Kudos: 51
Collections: The What To Do Series





	1. Chapter 1

Caline M. Bourgeois, age 13, stood in the wings of the Francois Dupont auditorium and wrung her hands as the act in front of her finished up. On stage, Olive was twirling the crap out of that baton and the blacklight admittedly looked awesome, but she was winding down and that meant Caline was next.

‘ _Fuck_ ,’ she thought to herself.

She was in a white dress with some (but not too much) frill, accented with two bows holding her sandy blonde hair back in a ponytail. One bow was red, the other yellow. She didn’t want two bows, but her mother insisted this was the best way to keep the peace.

Caline glanced into the audience from where she was hiding, and sure enough, the whole Goddamn family was there. Grandpa, all three Grammas, dad with his phone ready to go, Aunt Emilie, Aunt Camille…

And an empty seat.

Caline frowned and felt her stomach start to knot up. Olive was bowing as the audience politely clapped. Behind her, two stagehands were wheeling out the beat-up school piano for Caline’s performance.

“She didn’t come,” Caline said.

She felt something rustle in the frills on her shoulder.

“Aw shucks, girly,” a voice with a thick, southern drawl said. “Y’all just need ta have some faith. Yer mama may be a bit flighty, but that dere woman ain’t one ta miss her own kin’s recital. No ma’am. She’ll be here. Y’all see.”

Caline smiled and patted the tiny lump hiding in her frills. “Thanks, Ziggy. But,” She looked again at the empty chair. “She’s not here. She promised.”

Ziggy popped his head out and patted Caline on the shoulder. “She will be. Jus’ give her time.”

“But I’m going on now!” Caline said, slightly panicked. Out on stage, Ms. Beauréal was going on ad nauseam about how hard the students had worked for the talent show this year, and how excited she was to introduce the next performer. “Ziggy, what do I do?”

“Ya get out there and ya play fer everyone, of course. Yall gonna let yer dad and yer grammas and grampa and everyone else down? Or are ya gonna go out there and show ‘em whatch’a got?”

Caline bit her lip. Of _course_ the whole family was there. Of _course_ dad was recording. Of _course_ this had to happen today.

“She knew this was important to me, Ziggs. She _knew_.” Caline muttered as she walked on stage. She was doing her very best not to cry. From the audience, she heard two voices cheering for her.

“Go Caline!” The first one cheered.

“You’re gonna do great! Gramma loves you!” The second one chimed in.

“I love you more!” The first voice said.

“I love you most!” The second one screamed.

There were sounds of a scuffle. Caline ignored them and turned to face the audience as a small flash of light caught her eye. Her eyes drifted to the empty chair…

Caline blinked.

Sitting there was a woman in an earth-toned business suit with short, light brown hair and glasses. She had her phone out and was filming.

Caline’s eyes went wide. “Mom?” She asked under her breath.

Caline’s mom grinned and waved. Beside her, Caline’s father looked practically spooked. At least one of her Grandmas was frowning and had her arms crossed while her Grandpa was busy laughing into his shoulder. He was doing his best to cover it with a cough.

Caline smiled.

“Toldja,” the lump on her shoulder whispered.

***

Out in the audience, Caline’s mom grinned as she watched her daughter begin playing Nocturne No. 2 by Chopin. Caline had worked for two months with her Grandpa on the piece, and the dedication had paid off. She was nailing it.

It didn’t hurt that Adrien was a good teacher.

“Where were you?” Marinette quietly hissed beside her daughter.

“Work,” Gina whispered back. Her eyes never left Caline as she played. “You know how that goes.”

“You were almost late,” Marinette growled. “How can you of all people be late?”

“But I wasn’t,” Gina rebuffed. “And she saw me. You think I’d miss today?”

Gina didn’t have to turn her head to see the glare her mother was shooting her. She could _feel_ it.

Gina felt a hand squeeze her shoulder. She glanced back to see Aunt Chloé smiling at her. “Ignore your mother. She’s just mad because she lost a bet.”

At that, Gina did look to her mother. “You bet I wouldn’t be here?”

Marinette blushed and crossed her arms. She turned her attention to her granddaughter on stage. “When they closed the doors, I might have been overly upset.”

Gina nudged her. “Hey, it’s me.”

“I know,” Marinette sighed.

“Shh!” Sabrina shushed them both from behind. “I’m trying to enjoy my granddaughter’s performance!”

They shut up.

Caline had barely finished up when Marinette and Chloé both rocketed to their feet, both cheering and applauding wildly. Caline visibly recoiled on stage from the outpouring she was receiving from her grandmothers, but she was still smiling. Mainly because beside Gramma Marinette, her mother was also standing and applauding. She was cheering and whistling and making a scene. Beside her cheering father, Caline saw her aunts holding up a glitter-covered posterboard that said YOU ROCK! It was over the top and embarrassing, and Caline was 100% loving it.

Afterwards, once the other nineteen acts were done (Aurore refused to cut any students that wanted to be on stage. Something about it not being right to deny a student their moment in the spotlight), The family group headed out for a walk by the Seine to grab some dinner and gush about the performance. All three grandmothers had argued over where to eat, but André settled things quickly by loudly asking Caline what she wanted.

So, chilidogs it was.

“Hey,” Gina said as she took a large bite. “You did great up there, sweetie. I am so, so proud of you, you don’t even know.”

Caline blushed and grinned. “Thanks. Um, hey. So, like, where were you? I didn’t think you were coming.” Her eyes drifted to Gina’s green blouse. “Um, there’s some blood on your collar.”

Emilie snorted. She pushed her beautiful blonde hair behind her ear and took a bite of her hot dog. “Sounds like her.” Camille nudged her and scowled, but Emilie just continued to smugly chew her food.

Gina’s smile fell a bit. “Work was a bit much tonight. Sorry about that, but I was doing my best to make sure of things. I, um, I panicked and got the time slightly wrong. Otherwise I would have been in my seat sooner. Sorry.”

Marinette’s eyebrow went up at that. “What things, exactly? Is everything okay?”

Gina nodded. “Everything is fine. Nothing interrupted the recital, and nothing is going to interrupt our dinner. We all get a nice, normal, uneventful evening to ourselves.”

Marinette was the first to catch on. “How many times did you have to go back?” She asked.

“Seven,” Gina fired right back. “It took me over four hours to figure everything out. There were gonna be two akumas tonight, and don’t get me started on the werewolf.”

“Werewolf?” Caline asked.

“There wolf,” Gina quickly replied. “Seriously, how does Aunt Alix do this?”

The group went quiet.

Gina quickly read the room. “Sorry. I know that’s a sore… Look, I know it’s weird, but I’ve honestly seen more of her since she died than I ever did before. It’s nuts in the Burrow. Seriously, you all don’t get it; she was _super_ active with monitoring time. In fact, I’m pretty sure she lived in there. Mmm! That reminds me, right before I got to the school, I ran into her.”

Adrien bit his hip. “Is she okay? Was she okay? Geez, I don’t know what the best wording is for this.”

“She was good. She was in her PJ’s and brushing her teeth. I think she’d been sleeping in a side portal again. Oh,” Gina turned to Marinette. “She also told me to tell you not to worry about your appointment next week and that it’s just a clump of fat cells. You’re okay.”

Chloé laughed a little while Marinette blushed and smirked. “That sounds like her,” the fashion mogul said. “But did you have to say that in front of everyone?”

Gina shrugged. “You wanna drag me for my punctuality in front of my daughter again?”

Marinette glanced at her daughter. “Touché.”

“I’m just glad you came,” Caline said. “It meant so much.”

Gina smiled and kissed her daughter on the head. “I know, sweetie. Hey, I keep my promises.” She glanced to her husband and smiled. “And I wouldn’t miss tonight for the world.”

***

Later that night after Caline had been put to bed, Gina kissed André on the cheek as he finished up folding towels in the laundry room.

“Work?” He asked. The blond was in a black polo and looked tired from the day. He’d filled out a bit since they were teens, but not too much. He actively worked against the genes his grandfather had passed down to him and had remained somewhat trim. Gina was proud of the effort he put into himself.

“Just for a second. You wanna get a fire started? Maybe we could grab some cereal and cuddle on the couch?”

André gave her a tired smile. “Sure. That sounds great.”

Gina eyed him. “Are you just saying that to placate me?”

“Of course,” André said. “And because I want some wife time.”

Gina smiled as she stood in the doorway. “Wife time could be arranged. Be back soon.”

“Kay,” he said as he picked up a stack of towels for the hallway closet.

Meanwhile, Gina slipped out to the patio of their downtown apartment (a wedding gift from her parents. It had been theirs when they first started living together, and while it was worth a fortune, Adrien never had the heart to sell it), flipped a light switch by the utility closet, opened the door to said utility closet, and stepped into a glowing white portal.

“Sup, kiddo.” Alix called out from the center of the Burrow. She was transformed and kicked back in a recliner. Even though her hair had long since gone from pink to red to silver, she looked as feisty as ever. She was slurping down a slushie and swiping through floating ovals, each showing a different moment in time. “You make it on time?”

“Would you please explain to me how the clock in the center of time itself is six minutes slow?” Gina huffed. She gestured to a mundane-looking wall clock floating in the void. “Seriously! I was almost late!”

“But you weren’t,” Alix pointed out. “Look, changing it means getting out the step stool, going all the way over there, taking it down and fiddling with it, then looking at my phone for the right time, and that’s a lot of work. Like, so much. I’ve just gotten used to the difference, you know? And if I did it now, then that would completely mess me up going forward. I mean, I’d look at it and be off by six minutes. Screw that.” She slurped her drink.

Gina shook her head and sighed. “You were more tolerable before you died.”

“Which time?” Alix asked with a grin. “Thank you again, by the way. You’re really not supposed to redo things that often, but I do prefer being alive to dead, so no complaints.”

Gina smirked, and then sighed as she stared at the slushie in her Aunt’s hands. “Yeah, no biggie,” she said, her voice slightly quiet.

She stood beside her favorite aunt and watched the portals with her.

“Thanks for your help tonight,” Alix said casually.

“It’s my job,” Gina replied. “You know I won’t say no.”

“I know, but still. You’ve got a family. I just, I dunno, feel guilty?”

Gina shrugged. “I make it work. I’m good like that.”

“You are, indeed.” Alix glanced to her. “Um, on that. You ever get upset that I, um, that you got drafted into all this?”

Gina didn’t answer for a moment. She crossed her arms and settled in place as she thought.

“I used to think being Ladybug was the hardest of our jobs,” Gina said. She glanced to Alix. “I was so wrong.”

“Well, regardless? I’m proud of you, Gina. I always have been.” She considered Gina for a moment. “Hey, things are, um, pretty slow now, thanks to you. Good job with the werewolf. That takedown was super clever.”

“S’what I do,” Gina said. She crossed her arms and smiled to herself. “All in a day’s work for you average Mom, businesswoman, time guardian, werewolf hunter.”

“Yeah, that last one is a one-off. I think,” Alix smiled back. “Hey, I’ve got tonight, okay? Go spend some time with your family.”

“You’re sure?”

“Totally,” Alix said. She took a sip of slushie.

“Oh, did you see the recital?” Gina asked.

Alix grinned and swiped the portal in front of her. An image of Caline appeared as she sat at the piano. “You think I’d miss it?”

Gina smiled at her aunt and patted her on the shoulder. “Try not to stay up too late, okay? Even time guardians need sleep, and I worry about you.” She leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Love you, Aunt Alix. Please get some rest. Please?”

“Psssh,” Alix said as she waved her off. “Get out of here. I’m gonna monitor things for a while, grab a pizza, and then go get some shut eye. I’ll give you a holler if anything pops up. Promise.”

Gina smiled and turned to leave. Someday, she’d have to tell this version of Alix that her version, the one that had… That wasn’t here anymore, preferred electric blue slushies, not cherry. Still, it was sweet of her to keep popping in and pretending.

Gina wasn’t even sure what timeline this Alix was even from, but she supposed it didn’t matter. They were all her Aunt, after all.

Gina stopped at the entrance to her portal and glanced back to the familiar stranger who was casually kicked back in her Aunt’s well-worn recliner; a ghost who, if Gina squinted, was enough to help her to forget for a while.

“Good night, Bunnyx,” Gina called out.

“G’night, Time Bandit,” Alix called back. She toasted her with the half-finished slushie.

Smiling, Gina slipped through the portal back to her home.


	2. I Just Wanted To Tell You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette spends some time with Gina.

“I HATE YOU!”

Marinette winced as the front door slammed. This has been her third fight with Gina that week, and it was wearing the fashion designer down. This time, it had been about heading to the seaside with her friends for a weekend getaway.

Marinette had said no.

“But why not?” Gina had asked, a faint whine in her voice. They had been in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. With Emilie off at University and Adrien doing a press junket for his latest movie, it had been the two of them that night.

Marinette had been so excited. It was so rare that she got any quality time with her daughter, and with her oldest away and Gina getting ready to head out to University, she was starting to panic a bit.

Okay, a lot.

Marinette had envisioned all day of the two of them pigging out on pizza and watching terrible movies together. Maybe painting each other’s nails, gorging on ice cream… Pretty much everything Marinette knew would make her incredibly sick the next day. But, that didn’t matter. This was daughter time, and she honestly didn’t know how much more she’d have.

They had just eaten dinner and were getting ready to make disgustingly large sundaes when Chloé’s son, André had called. Marinette loved André. She was his godmother, after all. When he and Gina had started dating, she was taken aback, but happy. In her mind, Gina could do so, so much worse.

Still, this was mother-daughter time.

Her godson could go fuck himself.

And then, just to add fuel to the fire, Gina had perked up mid-conversation and turned to her mother with an excited look plastered on her face.

“OHMYGOD!” Gina said excitedly as she ended her call. “Mom! Aunt Chloé is letting us all use her villa this weekend! Are you cool if I go?”

Marinette blinked. “Wait, which villa?”

Gina grinned. “The one on La Concha beach. She’s covering everything! Travel, food, the works! Holy crap, this is… This is amazing!”

Marinette paled a little. “La Concha? As in where we vacation each year?”

Gina nodded. “Yeah! And she’s letting us use her beach villa! Aunt Sabrina says we can even use the fire pit!”

Marinette snapped.

“No.”

Gina nearly tripped in place. “Wait, what?”

“I said no,” Marinette sighed. “Gina, look. You’re responsible. I know you’re responsible. It’s just…”

“Mom,” Gina said, slightly annoyed. “Why not?”

Okay, now we’re partially caught up.

“I think you know why,” Marinette said, her voice slightly firm.

“Are you serious?” Gina sputtered. She adjusted her wire rimmed glasses and glared at her mother. “You let me go back in time, repeatedly I might add, but I can’t go to the beach with my friends? Many of which are miraculous holders?” She crossed her arms. “What the Hell, mom?”

“It’s not… Gina, look,” Marinette sighed. “It’s just… This weekend we promised your grandparents we’d take them up to visit with your sister, remember? They were looking forward to the road trip with us.”

“But,” Gina said, dismayed. “Mom, seriously? Just lend me Kaalki. I can pop right back. Boom. No problem.”

Gina,” Marinette said, her voice now firmer. “I… I said no. I’m just, I’m not comfortable with this, okay? Not this weekend.” She looked down. “Not there.”

Gina’s mouth opened and closed several times as her pale face turned slightly red. “You… You think I’m going to…”

“That’s not what this is about. And for the record, I know you’re going to,” Marinette said, pointedly. “And I don’t judge for that.”

“Really? Because it sure as Hell sounds like that’s exactly what you’re doing!”

Marinette glared at her daughter. “Don’t you raise your voice at me, young lady! I told you, I’m not…”

“You always do this,” Gina spoke over her. “You go on and on about how responsible I am, but then you treat me like I’m a toddler the second…”

“…Comfortable with this. We’ve already promised your grandparents and backing out on them would be nothing more than mean. They’ve been looking forward to…”

“…I try to go do something for myself. You don’t trust me to make any decisions that matter, and when I do, you tear me down! And it’s not fair!”

“…Spending time with both of you, and I honestly don’t know how many more opportunities like this we’re going to get! I need you to…”

“Just because you got knocked up there doesn’t mean I will!”

The silence in the kitchen was so thick you could have heard a pin drop.

Off to the side, Ziggy and Tikki were sitting on top of the microwave and eating some cookies. They both froze at the outburst.

“Well damn,” Ziggy muttered. “Now she’s gone and done it.”

Gina realized her mistake the second she spoke. Her eyes went wide as Marinette loomed in front of her.

“How dare you,” she hissed. “You do NOT get to judge me, young lady. Yes, I acted without thinking back then, but I do not regret it one bit, do you understand me? And I will not be shamed by my own child for my decisions.”

“I, dammit, look, I…” Gina started.

“Your ass is grounded,” Marinette snapped, cutting her off. “No villa, no vacation. You are going to come with us to visit your sister if I have to get my yoyo and tie you to the roof of the car, do you understand me?”

“Mom, I…”

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?” Marinette shouted.

Gina recoiled. She could count the number of times her mother had flat-out shouted at her on one hand.

“…Fine,” Gina said. She abruptly turned around and marched for the door. She snatched her keys and wallet from the counter as she stormed off.

“Where are you going?” Marinette yelled.

“Away from you,” Gina snapped back as she stormed away. “You never change. You’re never _going_ to change. I’ve saved the city and your life more times than I can count and you still think I’m some immature fucking idiot!”

“Maybe it’s because right now, you’re acting like one!” Marinette yelled after her.

“I HATE YOU!”

_SLAM!_

…And now we’re completely caught up.

Marinette stood in the kitchen and stared at the door for a moment before she picked up a (thankfully plastic) cup from the counter and threw it against the refrigerator. Fuming, she stormed into the living room and collapsed on the sofa, hot tears forming in her eyes.

“Stupid, inconsiderate little…” Marinette mumbled. She grabbed a soft, navy blue blanket from the arm of the couch and wrapped up in it as she burrowed into the cushions.

***

There was a knock at the door.

Marinette popped up, her face puffy from crying. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been curled up on the couch, but she felt gross, and she had to use the restroom, so she figured she must have cried herself to sleep.

She half-stumbled, half-marched to the door and threw it open, fully expecting to see her daughter standing there, needing to be let back in.

Instead…

Marinette froze at the sight of a woman about her height huddled in a black peacoat. She had short, grey hair, and her wire-rimmed glasses were reflecting the light coming from the doorway.

Marinette mentally stumbled a bit, not expecting to see someone at her door at such a late hour. “Um, hello? Can I help you?”

The woman had her hands in her coat and looked like she was ready to fold in on herself. She stared at Marinette for a moment before asking in a familiar voice, “I’m… I apologize for bothering you at this hour, but may I speak with you? Please?”

Marinette was about to say no and shut the door. After all, it was late, she was home alone, and superhero or not, this was a stranger and Marinette didn’t feel like putting herself in a bad situation. But as she looked at the woman, she felt there was something intensely familiar about her.

“…Sure,” Marinette said, despite her better judgement. She stepped back as the woman came inside. Marinette looked her over now that she was in better lighting. The mystery woman had green eyes behind her glasses, and her face, slightly wrinkled, was peppered with faint freckles.

Marinette stared.

The woman stared back.

“I, I’m sorry,” the woman said, her voice hitching. She turned back towards the door. “This was a mistake. I didn’t mean to disturb you, I just…”

Marinette reached out and gently put her hand on the woman’s arm. The woman stopped and turned to face her again.

Marinette stared closer.

“…Gina?”

The older woman’s face crumpled. Marinette pulled her close as Gina nearly fell into her arms, her entire body trembling with sobs. Marinette wasn’t sure what was happening, but she held her close and rubbed her back.

“Hey,” Marinette said in her best soothing voice. “It’s okay. It’s okay, sweetie.”

Internally, Marinette was panicking. _‘Did she get attacked by an akuma? Is this some weird side-effect from time travel? What the Hell happened to my baby?!_ ’ She frantically thought.

Gina eventually pulled back and wiped her face with her hand. “I’m so sorry for that,” she said between sniffs. “It’s been such a long day and, and I just wanted to see you. That’s all.”

Marinette still had her hand on Gina’s arm. “Would you like something to drink? Cocoa? Coffee?” She looked at Gina and noted her age. “Whiskey?”

Gina snickered as she sniffed back more tears. “Some of your cocoa would be wonderful.”

Marinette led her to the couch and made sure she was seated before she dashed to the kitchen and frantically whipped up some of her homemade cocoa. In two minutes, she was back at her older daughter’s side with a loaded, steaming cup in her hands.

“Here,” Marinette said as she handed Gina the cup.

Gina smiled and nodded to her mother. “Thank you so much,” she said. She took a small sip with her eyes closed. “This is good,” she murmured.

Her face looked clenched.

“This tastes just like I remember,” she whispered. Her hands started to tremble. Marinette was afraid she was going to have to catch the cup, but Gina thankfully set it down on the oak coffee table in front of them.

They sat together in silence for a moment. Marinette, still not 100% sure what was going on, waited for Gina to speak first.

Gina took a trembling breath.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Marinette stared, confused. “What do you mean?”

Gina kept her eyes on her hands, which were clenched together in her lap. “I shouldn’t tell you things that involve time. Aunt Alix always stressed that it was the fastest way to ruin things, but… I’m sorry I ruined our girl’s night, tonight.”

Marinette blinked. “What? Gina, what’s going on?” A small ball of fear was starting to grow in her stomach. “Why are you telling me this? Now?”

Gina shuddered. “This was the last time you and I ever tried to do this while I was home,” she said in a tiny voice. “I left for school in the Fall. I didn’t even think about it until today, but… This was our last girl’s night while I was still home with you, and I ruined it.”

“Hey,” Marinette said in a quiet voice. She reached out and took the older woman’s hands in her own. “Sweetie, it’s okay.”

Gina shook her head. “No, it’s not! You, you were just being a mom and I was a complete bitch to you! I’m so sorry!”

Gina was openly crying now as Marinette scooted closer and put her arm around Gina’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry I snuck out when I was 15 to go to a party at Tulip’s!” Gina sobbed into Marinette’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I broke your favorite vase! I’m, I’m sorry I filmed you the day you found out about Emilie! I’m sorry I failed my second semester! I’m so sorry!” She clung to Marinette. “I love you so much, and I’m so sorry!”

Gina was openly crying now against Marinette. “Gina,” Marinette said, her tone a mixture of concern and comfort. “Baby, what… You’re okay. It’s okay. I promise. I… What is this about?”

Gina clung to her mother a little bit longer.

“I just… I wanted to tell you. You’re a good mom. You’re the best mom and I love you. I love you with all my heart,” Gina said. She took a long, shaky breath. “I just… I really needed to tell you that.” She pulled back to look in Marinette’s eyes. “Everything I am is because of you. I am so, so proud to be your daughter.”

Marinette felt herself tearing up. “Oh, sweetie. I… Thank you so much.” She sniffed. “I won’t lie; I think I needed to hear that tonight.”

Gina let out a small laugh. “I know. I made a mess of things for you tonight. I just…” Gina sighed and scooted back as she composed herself. “Today was just really hard.”

Marinette looked at her daughter. As much as she didn’t want to, she felt the problem-solving side of her brain start to kick in.

Gina was dressed in a black skirt with black hose, a white blouse, and a black sweater. She was still bundled in her coat. Her eyes looked red, and she appeared to be exhausted.

And she was older. Marinette found it difficult to peg her, as the women in her family aged well. Still, she figured Gina had to be in her 60’s.

Marinette put her hand to her mouth. She closed her eyes as she put the dots together.

“Oh God,” she whispered. She composed herself and took Gina’s hands in her own.

“Listen to me,” Marinette said. She did her best to keep her voice level, as she felt her emotions threatening to rip her apart. “I love you and I am proud of you. Nothing will ever change that. Ever. You don’t have to apologize for tonight.”

“But,” Gina said, her voice catching again. “But this was…”

“No, it’s not.” Marinette said in a firm voice. “Sorry, sweetie. I’m changing the timeline. Let the time guardian yell at me for it. I’ll take it.”

Gina shot her a small smile. “I think she’ll let this one slide.”

Marinette continued. “I… I don’t know if it matters at this point in your life, but… Gina, I forgive you for everything, and I am sorry if I ever let you down.” She looked at her daughter. “Do… Are things good where you’re from? Do you have family?”

Gina nodded. “Yeah. Things are… We’re all really great. We both have families, and we’re both loved, and you did such a good job with both of us. We love you so much, and your grandkids love you, too. We all love you.” Gina snickered a bit. “Even Chloé.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at that. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you not call her Aunt Chloé.”

Gina shrugged. “I haven’t called her that since the wedding.”

Marinette’s eyes went wide. Gina quickly realized her slip-up and tried to backpaddle. “I mean, since, um, I just… I’m an old lady. I don’t call people aunt anymore.”

“You called Alix your aunt just a few minutes ago,” Marinette pointed out. “And you’re not that old.”

Gina’s face fell. “Shit, you’re right. I… Please forget I said that.”

Marinette shook her head. “Not happening. Hey,” she said. She reached out and cupped Gina’s cheek with her hand. “Can you do me a favor tonight?”

Gina nodded. “Sure. Anything.”

“I want you to go home and hug your family. I want you to tell your kids… Kids?”

Gina nodded. “Kids.”

Marinette grinned. “I want you to tell your kids that their Gramma loved them so, so much. I want you to remember that every day. And tell Emmy she’s loved, too. Tell her you two were my entire world.” She looked Gina in the eyes. “Can you do that for me, dear?”

Gina sniffed and nodded. “I can… Yeah. I can do that.” She looked Marinette in the eyes. “You were always the smartest person I knew. I knew coming back here was a mistake, but… I think I just needed to tell you that. All of that. I hope that was okay.”

Marinette scooted forward and kissed Gina on the forehead. “Of course it was. I love you, sweetheart.” She pulled back. “By the way, where did you run off to?” She eyed her daughter. “Are you with André?”

Gina shook her head. “No, I, um, I think I’m at Saint-Jacques Tower. I figured no one would look for me there.”

Marinette squeezed her leg. “Thanks. Now, as your mother, I’m going to ask something of you.”

Gina steadied herself. “Sure. What?”

“Go home,” Marinette said. “Go and get some rest. You look like you’ve had an awful day, but… You’re very loved, and you always have been.”

“But, there’s so much I still need to tell you,” Gina begged. “There’s so much left to do! I need to, to say… I don’t… I don’t know where to begin. I…” She looked to her mother with pleading eyes.

“You don’t have to,” Marinette said quietly. “I know. I promise you, I know.”

Gina closed her eyes and nodded.

“I know,” Gina said back. I just… This was harder than I thought it would be.”

“Hey,” Marinette said as she had an idea. “Lay down for me, okay?”

Marinette grabbed a throw pillow and set it next to her. She gently guided Gina down to it and scooted to give her daughter room to rest her head. She then grabbed the blanket she had been wrapped in and spread it over the older woman’s frame.

Gina snuggled into her mother’s side and pulled the blanket close. In the familiar, dim quiet of the living room, Marinette started softly singing a lullaby. It was a simple song that she and Adrien had begun singing to their girls when they were babies. It was their own sweet, silly family tune. Just for them. It was the same one Gina had sung to her children, and then to her grandchildren.

And that night, cuddled against her mother, Gina had it sung to her one last time.

Marinette held her daughter until she felt the telltale deep, rhythmic breathing that came with sleep. She then gently got up and kissed Gina on the forehead before quietly slipping out of the room.

***

Teenage Gina sat huddled atop the ancient, jutting structure that was Saint-Jacques Tower and pulled her black coat close to her frame. She had been rotating between yelling at someone who wasn’t there, pouting, feeling bad for herself, and eating a burrito.

She was on her second burrito at this point.

“Hey,” a voice said from behind her.

Gina jumped a bit and turned to see her mother, transformed, standing behind her.

Gina sniffed and looked back out over the city. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

“What do you want?” Gina asked in a tired voice.

Marinette sat down beside her daughter and looked out over the city with her for a moment.

“Did I ever tell you about the day I died?” Marinette asked.

Gina glanced at her mother for a moment.

Marinette let out a small sigh. “I was so happy that morning. Adrien was officially mine, we were spending the day with his father,” Marinette frowned slightly. “Granted, we didn’t know his father was a monster at that point, but still. Everything was so wonderful, and bright, and I even got to see you! And then…”

Marinette swallowed.

“I didn’t even feel a lot of pain. It happened so fast. The roof just slammed into me. It was like a cold shock, and then… I guess the best way to put it was I felt like I was underwater. There was this haze, and there were all these people around me, mostly women. They were all calling to me, telling me I was welcome to rest with them. They were all dressed differently, but they were all in red…”

Marinette let her words drift on the wind as Gina looked to her.

“Were they Ladybugs?” Gina asked.

“I think so,” Marinette mused. “They all had this sad look on their faces, like this wasn’t how they’d expected things to go, but they were smiling, and… And I wanted to go with them. There was a light behind them, and it was so warm, but… But all I could think about was you, and Adrien, and mama and papa… I just stood there, not sure what to do.”

“What happened then?” Gina asked.

Marinette looked to her and smiled. “And then I saw you. You had a transformation I’d never seen before. You took me by the hand and said you wanted your family back, and the next thing I knew, I was fine.”

They sat together for a moment as Marinette’s words sunk in.

“I’ve faced death so many times,” Marinette said. “But that was one of the worst. I was so scared afterwards when I realized what had happened.” She shuddered. “I… My not wanting you to go has nothing to do with you and André. He’s great, and I love both of you, and I really do trust you, I just…”

Marinette swallowed.

“I just keep thinking about you going there, and the same thing happening to you. I know it’s stupid and I know you’ll be okay, but I just can’t shake the fear. I just…” Marinette shuddered and hugged herself. “I can’t lose you. I know I won’t. Like, I seriously know I won’t, but whenever I think about it, I just lock up. I’m sorry. I know that’s not fair to you, but…”

She was stopped by Gina hugging her.

“I’m sorry,” Gina said.

Marinette felt relief wash over her. She hugged Gina back.

“Me too,” she said.

They stayed like that for a moment.

“Listen,” Marinette said after a bit. “This weekend is a no. I really do need you to come with us, mainly for Gramma and Grandpa. I think… I think you’ll regret any lost time, someday. Also, I love you so much,” Marinette leaned back. “But you were acting like a total bitch.”

Gina tensed, but then deflated as she gave a nod. “Okay,” she said. “I get it. I… I should have just talked to you about this. Sorry.”

Marinette pulled her daughter back into a hug kissed the side of Gina’s head. “Still, this gives me an idea.”

She let Gina go and opened her yoyo. Humming, she scrolled through the contacts and clicked on the fourth one down. She held the yoyo out and put it to speaker as the line almost instantly picked up.

“I’m here. What’s the situation?” Gina heard the stern, confident voice of her Aunt Chloé on the line.

“Nothing major,” Marinette said. “Hey, are you booking a trip for the kids this weekend? Something about the beach?”

There was a sigh of relief. “Christ, Dupain-Cheng. You called me from your yoyo over that? I thought there was an akuma! Ugh! Yes, I’m putting together something. I figured the class would like a senior trip, and mom agreed it was a good idea. Why?”

“Wellllll,” Marinette said. She smiled at Gina. “Gina can’t go this weekend. We already have a family commitment, and I promised mom and dad we’d all be involved.”

“…Well shit,” Chloé muttered.

“So, would you be up for coordinating something special with me? Maybe, I don’t know, something along the lines of Brisbane?”

There was a notable pause.

“…Are you fucking with me?”

Gina snorted.

“Look, Adrien inherited a condo-slash-secret lair down there and it’s honestly huge. We rent it out as an Air B&B for side cash, but it’s free next weekend.”

“I, huh. That’s… Okay, like that sounds awesome, but there’s no way I’m giving the kids a cooler vacation that I would take.”

“Then we all go together,” Marinette suggested. “The lair is huge. Like, ridiculously huge. There’s more than enough room.”

“That’s a lot of plane tickets,” Chloé grumbled. “Like, yay for being rich, but seriously. That’s a lot of plane tickets.”

“No it’s not,” Marinette hummed.

“Seriously!” Chloé snapped. “There’s sixteen kids in their class, plus parents, that’s…”

“Chloé,” Marinette interrupted. “We have a teleporter.”

“…Oh, fuck yes.”

“So, next week?” Marinette asked in her upbeat, business voice.

“Um, yeah. Next week. I… This is pretty awesome of you, Du… Marinette. Um, hey. You wanna get lunch this week? I was… IT’S JUST LUNCH, SABRINA! CHRIST!”

Marinette covered her mouth as Gina buried her face in her mother’s side and howled with laughter.

“I’d love to. Thanks, Chloé! See you on patrol.”

“Yeah, yeah. See you.” The call cut off.

Marinette looked to Gina. “There. One class trip, and this way? Everyone’s fears are assuaged.”

“It’s not really a class trip if your parents are right there, but, um, wow. Okay, I shouldn’t complain. This is awesome. Thank you.”

Marinette nodded. “I know, and you’re welcome. Oh, and don’t worry. The lair? It’s a haunted hotel. That’s why it’s so big. I’m sure you kids will have more than enough room to hang out without us hovering.”

“Awesome,” Gina grinned. “Wait. Haunted? Like, for real?”

Marinette tossed her yoyo and gave it a tug. “Race you home!”

“Wait. Mom, for real? Richter is terrified of ghosts! Mom! Hey!”

Marinette was already gone.

***

When they finally finished their patrol (which was actually just a game of tag), both mother and daughter returned to their empty home. Gina yawned and excused herself to go take a shower as Marinette drifted into the living room.

She sat on the large couch in the center of the room and put her hand on the neatly folded blanket that was resting beside her.

She wondered about her daughter in the far future, and if she would be okay. She hoped she would be. She hoped her family was there for her, and that she knew she was loved.

She thought about what the older version of her little girl had said, the look on her face, and the tone of her voice.

Marinette slid her phone out. It was extremely late, so calling was out of the question. Instead, she sent off a quick text.

_‘Hey. Just wanted to let you know that I love you so much. You’re the best mom anyone could ever ask for, and I feel so lucky to have you in my life. Would you like to get breakfast?’_

A moment later, as soon as Marinette stood up to head to bed, her phone buzzed. She looked down to see a message.

_‘I love you, too. With all my heart. I’d love to, dear. Come by around 7.’_

Marinette smiled as she headed up to bed.

In the morning, she was going to hug her daughter. And she was going to hug her mother. 

And she didn’t plan on letting either of them go.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I firmly believe the death of an old person is never a tragedy. The loss we feel is the loss of our connection. The loss of the ability to reaffirm things, or make things right. We grieve the loss of the opportunity to better ourselves by those that are gone.
> 
> This one was a bit heavy for me.
> 
> I might do a fun one. Would anyone like a fun one? Is there anyone you'd like a wrap-up on? Or something you were hoping I'd get to that I haven't? Not saying I will, but I might consider it...

**Author's Note:**

> I was blessed with multiple wonderful reviews out of the blue this week, as well as a nod on Tumblr from a fellow writer, and I wanted to say thank you with a little epilogue piece. I may do a couple more. We'll see. Let me know what you think.


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